Sustainable Employment & Economic Development

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Youth employment

Youth joblessness is a phenomenon not only in Southern European states but prevails in all countries of the developing world with increasing threats for development and stability. Qualifications for formal employment are desired by many, but jobs are scarce and job creation a longer term solution. Employment bureaus and job centres have to go beyond mere placement or recruiting services.

Only broad, sustainable economic growth creates opportunities for employment that can move large sections of the population out of poverty. Providing access to education and capital enables them to contribute to growth as well as to benefit personally through an appropriate income.

Free market access and legal security in conjunction with modern communication, appropriate transport infrastructures and a conducive institutional framework set the stage for a good business environment, hence stimulating the international competitiveness of developing and transition countries. At the same time, industrial countries can help reduce world poverty by respecting fair-trade conditions as well as social and ecological standards.

We promote economic development and employment in a range of different areas. In many cases, reforms in the financial sector are necessary to establish transparency for investors or to provide individuals and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with funding. This may especially apply to micro-credits for the small entities. Therefore, we link existing and would-be entrepreneurs to financing institutions.

Regarding sustainable business development we use value chain analyses as a starting point to develop action plans for the MSMEs involved, and we accompany their implementation. With all our activities we particularly cater for the special needs of different target groups like for example the qualification of young people to increase their employability or their chances to become self-employed, e.g. in the green sector.

In addition, we involve members of the Diaspora who wish to contribute to the economic development of their countries of origin be it through own investments or the extension/linkage of their existing businesses in their new home-countries with their country of origin. We incorporate professional bodies like chambers and associations in our work to enable companies to learn from each other and to improve their business performance.